Starbucks Coffee Presentation - 1454 Words

Slide 1: Economic Position Company history †¢ Starbucks coffee was founded by three teachers at the University of San Francisco. These three teachers wanted to open a coffee shop in which sold high quality beans and equipment. †¢ The name â€Å"Starbucks†, came from the name of the chief mate on the whaling ship from the book Moby Dick. The Company †¢ Starbucks is a multination corporation, which first opened in 1971 in Seattle. It started off as a single store in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. †¢ Although Starbucks was not popular at the time, it offered some of the â€Å"world’s finest fresh-roasted whole bean coffees† †¢ In the year of 1981, Howard Shultz (chairman, president and chief executive officer) first walked into the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Starbucks carbon footprint is expected to shrink over the next few years due to their use of recycling. †¢ In the future Starbucks will be building what they call a â€Å"Green Store† which innovates the use of different reusable materials all over the store Water Use †¢ Starbucks was accused of wasting way too much water †¢ What nobody knew was that, since 2007 Starbucks had been working on a solution to save water that did not compromise health standards †¢ Solution: (found and used in 2009) †¢ Manually operated hand-meter faucets †¢ Saves 150 gallons of water each day †¢ Starbucks has a goal to reduce up to 25 percent of water use by 2015 Slide 3: Social Impacts Employees †¢ Starbucks is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard, to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity, or expression, or any other basis protected by local state or federal law †¢ Working conditions are great, but many workers have said that Starbucks does not pay well †¢Show MoreRelatedEssay on Starbucks Company Overview815 Words   |  4 PagesStarbucks Company Overview Starbucks, a well-managed assertive company, has consistently achieved growth since its early beginnings. Starbucks is the largest retailer of specialty coffee drinks and coffee beans in the nation sold through company-owned retail outlets and supermarket chains (Starbucks Corporation, 2009). 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The caffeine Addict†( Tori Freeman). While encountering the advertisement, one observes that they can describe themselves in at least one of the ways listed. Likewise, these descriptions allow the audience to relate to the brand, Starbucks, through the donative meaning of eachRead MoreCoffee Shop Comparison: Cof fee Spot and Starbucks1233 Words   |  5 PagesCoffee Shop Comparison Introduction This paper presents two distinctly different coffee house experiences. One experience took place in a local coffee house call the Coffee Spot and the other took place in a Starbucks on the other side of this university town. The coffee was good in both places, but the atmosphere and the comfort zone were very different, and this paper points out those differences. 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The Measures of the Bolsheviks to Maintain Power and...

The Measures of the Bolsheviks to Maintain Power and Address the Problems of Russia Before the Outbreak of Civil War After the Bolsheviks seizure of power in November 1917, Lenin needed to ensure all previously made promises were kept and that Russias increasing problems were resolved. The Bolsheviks were a relatively small party with big plans for Russia - a communist state. Is this were to be possible Lenin would need to gain greater support. Lenin made several crucial decisions in the early days of ‘peace, bread, land and all power to the soviet’. One his first major changes was the Decree on Land, by making decrees Lenin was being hugely hypocritical as he was ruling in a very similar way to†¦show more content†¦This, however, did not have the desired effect as workers began to flee, as food shortages increased, to the countryside in search of bread. ‘Bag-men’, or town traders, took machinery, scrap machinery and timber from their workplaces to trade for grain in the country. The population of Petrograd fell by a third in the build up to the civil war. The workers did not want to stay in towns and cities when money was slowly becoming worthless. Bolshevism was more or less unknown outside of Petrograd, Moscow and the other main towns and cities, ad so Lenin needed as much support here as possible. Lenin finally pulled out of World War 1 in March 1918, signing the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The treaty lost Russia 26% of its population, 27% of its arable land as well as significant chunks of the iron and coal industry, national minorities’ etc. Despite meeting the promises of the Bolsheviks for peace, the treaty created yet more opposition within Russia. Lenin’s methods for dealing with opposition were ruthless, repression and dictatorship. As Russia moved closer to a civil war, Lenin became increasingly like the Tsar in his way of rule. Non-BolshevikShow MoreRelatedHistory HL Paper 3 Europe6131 Words   |  25 Pagesand a series of ministers failed to solve it. But there were other causes, such as the economic situation, influence of the philosophers, and the American War of Independence. The monarchy was a victim, in that Louis was executed, and the revolution was at least partly responsible for the dauphin’s death. The monarchy’s former absolutist power was removed by legislation, and it was abolished in 1792 (but restored in 1814). However there were other victims, and some judgment should be given on â€Å"main†Read MoreRussia Notes as/A2 1881-19147263 Words   |  30 PagesRussian History 1881 – 1914 What was Russia like in 1881? †¢ 82% of the population were illiterate peasant farmers. †¢ No technology was used on farms – subsistence farming. †¢ Largest standing army in Europe. †¢ No political parties and the press was heavily censored. †¢ Fierce loyalty to the Tsar – often enforced by brutal secret police. †¢ Royalty owned most of the land – Tsar’s estate was larger than some countries. †¢ 1861 – Tsar Alexander II freedRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pages Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in Ancient and Classical History Jack Metzgar, Striking Steel: Solidarity Remembered Janis Appier, Policing Women: The Sexual Politics of Law Enforcement and the LAPD Allen Hunter, ed., Rethinking the Cold War Eric Foner, ed., The New American History. Revised and Expanded Edition E SSAYS ON _ T WENTIETH- C ENTURY H ISTORY Edited by Michael Adas for the American Historical Association TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS PHILADELPHIA TempleRead MoreGlobalization and It Effects on Cultural Integration: the Case of the Czech Republic.27217 Words   |  109 Pageslibraries, globally recognized galleries, museums and concert halls and with well-maintained traditions especially, in the villages of the Moravian-Silesian region. These villages remain as a sign of the cultural taste of the specific areas. II. THE PROBLEM. Human beings with unlimited quest for wants have let to the advent of the process of globalization. This has come through a dramatic expansion in the volume and variety of cross-border transactions in goods and services. The development of new

Apush Paper (It’s Fail) Free Essays

James Jun Pribaz APUSH 5 13 February 2013 Frontier Thesis- Summary, Agreement, and Why â€Å"The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American settlement westward explain American development. † In this article, Frederick Jackson Turner believes that, in relation to his frontier thesis, the history of the United States is most influenced mainly by how Americans had assimilated the West into the culture they held. The frontier, in Turner’s stance, was where settlers had restarted civilization as a whole and begun to redevelop the conditions present further east in the United States. We will write a custom essay sample on Apush Paper (It’s Fail) or any similar topic only for you Order Now By doing so, the frontier is classified as being the most rapidly Americanized area in the whole nation; however, the frontier also influenced the culture of the United States by promoting individualism, American ingenuity, and a restless amount of energy. Additionally supporting his argument, Turner also pointed out the dangers of having no frontier. Turner began to question the possible outcomes from the dissipation of the frontier. Historians, on the other hand, took up a different view on the frontier and its effect on American culture. The historians believed that, instead of the frontier, other factors had influenced the history of the United States, such as slavery, the Civil War, capitalism, and slavery. Furthermore, they hotly contested Turner’s claim of â€Å"free land. † The historians declared that the land, which was inhabited by the Indians, was in all actuality not free at all as countless wars had been fought for this land, resulting in many deaths. The historians also challenged Turner’s thesis by stating how communities, corporations, and even the federal government had allowed the inhabitation of the West, instead of individualism. Therefore, Turner’s thesis and the thoughts of the historians contrasted sharply; however, both sides acquiesced to the idea that the West had influenced us to some extent. I disagree with the â€Å"frontier thesis† that Frederick Jackson Turner had claimed was true. Instead of the frontier influencing the history of the United States, I agree with the historians that many other factors had played a role in molding how the nation progressed. Events like slavery, the Civil War, capitalism, the railroad, immigration, and numerous inventions all had significant impacts on how American culture came to be. Turner also emphasized how the land was free on the frontier which could clearly and concisely explain the development of the nation. In contrast, I believe that the land in the west was free in thought, but not free in reality. As more and more settlers poured to the west after the Homestead Act, it became rather evident that the West offered little to no prosperity. The weather was dreadful, life was relatively isolated as most western settlers were farmers, and the soil was inhospitable to crops. Therefore, I diverge on the stance that Turner advocated for, which stated that the frontier had mainly impacted American history, and hold that countless other factors had played a great part in America’s development, not just one particular one. How to cite Apush Paper (It’s Fail), Essay examples

Environment Factors-Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Discuss abouttheEnvironmental Factors in the United States of America. Answer: Environmental factors Tiger Balm is a company that is serving the entire world with its unique formulation for the last 100 years. It is proven safe for any age such as the youths and the old. The company has solutions to any kinds of general pain in any part of body. It comes in two formats such as ointment and spray. It is highly innovative, which is why the company has one of its latest offerings for killing the mosquitoes. Singapore became the parent country for the product from there only the product reached to neighbouring countries such as China, Malaya, and Hong Kong (CORPORATION 2017). The company is set for its venturing into the United States of America. This is very important for the company then to analyze the external environment in the target country before they enter into the market. The following discussions would now focus on the business environment in America. Host country/ business climate The United States of America is the worlds most favourable place to small and big size business. The highly elevating GDP growth is a good indication for the new start-ups. The high population of the states and the unmatched diversity of the country make this a welcoming place to initiate a new business. They are innovative in nature. They have high skilled workforces, which can form the backbones to any potential business (Selectusa.gov 2017). They believe much in the Research Development process. They spend a high investment on the RD process. They have high infrastructures as well to support a progressive RD in the country. A progressive thought of the country towards the technological advancement makes this a good place for a new business venturing (American Chemical Society 2017). SWOT analysis Strengths Weaknesses Making partnership with local companies to enter new market is one of their key to success Conversion rate is high, 8 out of 10 customers consider repurchase Experienced business units Skilled workforce Several other competitors in the Asian and the global market such as Zandu Balm, Bengay and Deep Heat etc Consumer behaviour is different in the United States of America Opportunities Threats American customers are probably the best in the world Analgesic industry is becoming wider with the increased number of sports these days Future ever-changing customers needs is enhancing the competition in the market Future generation require much more creativity than what exist Challenge to maintain the successful journey for ever Challenge to satisfy the global needs while staying relevant to the Asian customers Figure 1: SWOT analysis of Tiger Balm Strengths According to the Executive Director Mr. A K Han, the unique strategy of the company is their ability to become localised that they do by integrating with local companies in the different parts of the Asian countries. The conversion rate for the company is also very high. Every 8 out of 10 people consider repurchase of its products. Indeed this very good asset would definitely boost their confidence while being in the United States. They are experienced business units. They have been into this industry for the last 100 years. The experience that they have would definitely assist them think global. This indeed is necessary while they are in the United States of America. Skilled workforces have always remained their strength. This is equally important for the company that they recruit skilled workforces for their United States unit. This would help them being highly creative, which is necessary to get a good response from the American customers (Yadavalli and Lakshman 2015). Weaknesses A high level of competition in the industry is a threat to the company in both the Asian and the global market. The Asian market has some other giants as well such as Zandu Balm. On a same note, it would have to establish its own place in front of some American market giants such as Bengay and Deep Heat (McQuay et al. 2012). Consumer behaviour plays a significant role in making a brand sellable (Solomon and Michael2014). The American consumers are perhaps the best in the world. This would be a good chance for the company to cash on the provided opportunity provided if they are competitive enough. Opportunities In the contemporary world, business companies get attracted towards a particular market because of its certain potential aspects such as high population, favourable government rules, highly growing economy, supportive customer behaviour, low costs for labour etc. The United States of America is the strongest economy in the world (Spence, Michael, and Sandile 2012). The customers of the country are probably the best in the world. These two factors do simply create a very good platform for the Tiger balm Company in US. Threats The ever-changing customers needs are enhancing the competition in the market. In such circumstances, this would be a vital test for the Tiger Balm Company because there are places for the improvement in its creativity. Sustenance has perhaps become a widely discussed topic for the international business. The Tiger Balm Company has the same challenge ahead of them. They need to become more creative in order to attain the sustenance. They have another challenge ahead of them, which is to satisfy the needs of global customers while staying relevant to the needs of the Asian customers (Smu.edu.sg 2017). The United States its culture Individualistic culture America scores high on individualism on Hofstede cultural dimension. The country scores 91, which means that it has high numbers of people that believes on their own credibility (Bergiel et al. 2012). They do not rely on a group or their family. Universalism vs. Particularism The United States of America is a Universalist country that does not have bias behaviour for any specific group. It rather has more concerns for what is right or wrong (Bergiel et al. 2012). Neutral vs. Emotional America is a Neutralist country, which has low values to deep friendship relationships. However, it is rather more approachable as the countrys people are not shy of initiating communications with some strangers. They do so for some reason such as for business purpose (Bergiel et al. 2012). Specific vs. Diffuse The United States of America is of Specific cultures, which has high place for others in public. They have strong separating feelings for their private and public relationships. They are very specific to both the groups (Bergiel et al. 2012). Achievement vs. Ascription The United States of America is of Achievement culture that believes in what has so far been achieved. The group believes in attaining the goal rather than looking at the surrounding circumstances (Bergiel et al. 2012). STEEPLED analysis Socio-cultural factors The country is facing the problem of ageing population that might enhance the labour shortage and tax rates in the future ahead. The healthcare and the education system are within the top nations in the world. Majority of people are open-minded; however, the rising racism feeling is a serious concern (Buckingham, David, and Rebekah 2013). Technological factors They have highly advanced technological platform. The country has high values to the investments made on the Research the Development process. Their innovative ideas are widely evident in some of their technological advancements such as biotechnology, nanotechnology and environmental technology (Taylor and Timothy 2014). Environmental factors America is the second largest contributor of CO2 in the world. Acid rain is another issue in America, which is caused by high air pollution in the country. Acid rain is dangerous to trees, animals and even to buildings. The western part of the country has scarce of fresh water. The particular region also experiences drought, which is affects the agriculture process (Seneviratne et al. 2012). Economic factors It is the worlds largest economy. Consumers are major contributors to this fact. The country has high susceptibilities to some natural calamities such as Katrina, which disrupts the natural resources badly. To maintain the economy development the US government has introduced TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program), which performed well to stabilize the economy during hardships in the past (Lebergott and Stanley 2015). Political factors It is a strong democratic country. Elections in the country are very fair and transparent. However, the country has faced vast criticism for its interventionist policies that they used for war on terror (Graber, Doris and Johanna 2014). Legal factors The American government laws are very flexible with the requirement of employees. In some parts of the country, breaks are not limited. Job hours are not limited as well. In addition to this, employees are not ensured with compulsory vacations given to them. Employers have the rights to cancel their vacations (Fourcade, Marion and Rakesh 2013). Ethical factors There are high ethical transgressions at the workplaces. However, experts do believe that ethical considerations are ignored at the time of economic struggles. It indeed expands in its restrictions at the time when there is no economic pressure. Workplace bullying does exist widely at the workplace. Ethical violation against customers and the co-workers is wrong in the United States of America (Mahoney and Jack 2013). Demographics factors America has highly diverse ratio of racial ethnic works because of immigrants that are coming to the country. The demographic changes in the country are influencing the political elections majorly. Millennials are influencing the business of most sectors such as the Smartphone and the Cosmetic industry. Womens roles have become wider in the leadership and the labour force (Cohn et al. 2017). Government incentives The U.S. federal government has several services and programs for the companies that operate in the country. They are involved in common workforce development. They also help new investors develop their business operations in the country. Companies operating in the United States of America receive tax deductions because they operate in the country (Selectusa.gov 2017). References American Chemical Society. 2017. A Competitive U.S. Business Climate: Innovation, Chemistry, and Jobs - American Chemical Society. [online] Available at: https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/policy/publicpolicies/innovation/usbusinessclimate.html [Accessed 20 Jun. 2017]. Bergiel, Erich B., Blaise J. Bergiel, and John W. Upson. "Revisiting Hofstede's Dimensions: Examining the Cultural Convergence of the United States and Japan."American Journal of Management12, no. 1 (2012): 69. Boyle, Peter J., and E. Scott Lathrop. "The value of private label brands to US consumers: an objective and subjective assessment."Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services20, no. 1 (2013): 80-86. Buckingham, David, and Rebekah Willett.Digital generations: Children, young people, and the new media. Routledge, 2013. Cohn, D., Caumont, A., Cohn, D. and Caumont, A. 2017. 10 demographic trends that are shaping the U.S. and the world. [online] Pew Research Center. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/03/31/10-demographic-trends-that-are-shaping-the-u-s-and-the-world/ [Accessed 22 Jun. 2017]. CORPORATION, H. 2017. Tiger Balm. [online] Tigerbalm.com. Available at: https://www.tigerbalm.com/sg/pages/about [Accessed 22 Jun. 2017]. Fourcade, Marion, and Rakesh Khurana. "From social control to financial economics: The linked ecologies of economics and business in twentieth century America."Theory and Society42, no. 2 (2013): 121-159. Frieden, Jeffry.Banking on the world: the politics of American international finance. Routledge, 2015. Graber, Doris A., and Johanna Dunaway.Mass media and American politics. Cq Press, 2014. Jorgenson, Dale, Frank M. Gollop, and Barbara Fraumeni.Productivity and US economic growth. Vol. 169. Elsevier, 2016. Katzenstein, Peter J.A world of regions: Asia and Europe in the American imperium. Cornell University Press, 2015. Lebergott, Stanley.The American Economy: Income, Wealth and Want. Princeton University Press, 2015. Mahoney, Jack.Teaching business ethics in the UK, Europe and the USA: A comparative study. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013. Marable, Manning, and Kristen Clarke, eds.Seeking higher ground: The Hurricane Katrina crisis, race, and public policy reader. Springer, 2016. McQuay, Henry J., Sheena Derry, Christopher Eccleston, Phillip J. Wiffen, and Andrew R. Moore. "Evidence for analgesic effect in acute pain50 years on."Pain153, no. 7 (2012): 1364-1367. Pearce, John A. "Why domestic outsourcing is leading America's reemergence in global manufacturing."Business Horizons57, no. 1 (2014): 27-36. Selectusa.gov. 2017. Invest in the United States | SelectUSA.gov | SelectUSA.gov. [online] Available at: https://www.selectusa.gov/welcome [Accessed 20 Jun. 2017]. Selectusa.gov. 2017. Programs and Incentives | SelectUSA.gov. [online] Available at: https://www.selectusa.gov/programs-and-incentives [Accessed 22 Jun. 2017]. Seneviratne, Sonia I., Neville Nicholls, David Easterling, Clare M. Goodess, Shinjiro Kanae, James Kossin, Yali Luo et al. "Changes in climate extremes and their impacts on the natural physical environment."Managing the risks of extreme events and disasters to advance climate change adaptation(2012): 109-230. Smu.edu.sg. 2017. Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Available at: https://www.smu.edu.sg/perspectives/2016/05/25/tiger-balm-roaring-back-success [Accessed 24 Jun. 2017]. Solomon, Michael R.Consumer behavior: Buying, having, and being. Vol. 10. Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2014. Spence, Michael, and Sandile Hlatshwayo. "The evolving structure of the American economy and the employment challenge."Comparative Economic Studies54, no. 4 (2012): 703-738. Taylor, Timothy D.Strange sounds: Music, technology and culture. Routledge, 2014. Webel, Baird. "Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP): Implementation and Status."Congressional Research Service27 (2013). Yadavalli, Lakshman Kumar. "Brand success evaluation in selected pharmaceutical therapeutic groups and impact of e commerce on pharmaceutical products success." (2015).

Chapters 23

While focusing on Part IV â€Å"The Doctrine of the Word of God† and Part V â€Å"The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God† from John Frame’s Systematic Theology, it is possible to note that these parts are helpful to understand how people perceive God’s Word and how they form their knowledge of God. This reflection paper provides the proper discussion of key points learnt from Chapters 23-32 of Frame’s book.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Chapters 23-32 in John Frame’s â€Å"Systematic Theology† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Part IV of the book is titled as â€Å"The Doctrine of the Word of God†, and the ways to receive, perceive, and understand God’s words are discussed in Chapters 23-28. I have learnt from Chapter 23 â€Å"God and His Word† that the divine word is not only in the written or verbal form, but it is in the acts. Thus , the Word is the attribute of God, and this idea is closely associated with such important phenomena as creation and providence1. Those people who have learnt the Word of God are not the same anymore. Chapter 24 â€Å"God Speaks to Us in Events and Words† provides more details to understand the fact. Thus, I have learnt that there are many ways in which the Word comes to people, and they are human words or historic events, and natural events. These ways are the media for revelation2. It is stated in Chapter 25 â€Å"God’s Written Words† that the prophets who heard the divine voice represented their knowledge in the written word. From this point, it is also the direct Word from God. Referring to Chapter 26 â€Å"The Nature of Scripture†, I can state that God’s Word is truth in its nature because the principles of infallibility and inerrancy are followed in Scripture3. Now, I understand that I can discuss Scripture as the reflection of God’s direct words. Chapter 27 â€Å"From God’s Lips to Our Ears† and Chapter 28 â€Å"From the Text to Our Hearts† are very interesting and important for me because they present the information on the ways of receiving and understanding God’s Word. I received the opportunity to understand that God’s Word comes directly to prophets who write it, and these copies are extremely important for believers. Although many autographs are lost, God uses many media to come to the person’s heart4. I can guess that the reason is in the fact that Scripture includes the message that comes directly to the believer’s heart and mind. I have learnt from Part V â€Å"The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God† how God and person can know each other. In Chapter 29 â€Å"God and Our Knowledge†, it is stated that God knows everyone in spite of the personality’s aspects. Thus, there are many perspectives from which God can see the person.Advertising Looking for critical writing on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More That is why, there are no ideas or acts which can be unnoticed. Our knowledge of God is more limited, but we need to know more about God in order to learn more about us. In Chapters 30-32, there are ideas on how people can learn more about God5. I have learnt that the human heart, mind, intuition, and imagination are the strong sources to learn more about God and to understand the revelation principle. There are many important facts presented in Chapters 23-32 of John Frame’s Systematic Theology which provide the important framework to conclude about God’s Word and the roots of the knowledge. The chapters provided me with the opportunity to understand how the persons can learn more about their nature and the nature of God. Furthermore, I have realized that the knowledge of God and the knowledge of a man are interconnected, and th e most important information associated with the divine word can come with the help of the human words, written words, and natural and historic events. Bibliography Frame, John. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief. USA: PR Publishing, 2013. Footnotes 1 John Frame, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief (USA: PR Publishing, 2013), 520. 2 Frame, Systematic Theology, 536. 3 Ibid., 596.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Chapters 23-32 in John Frame’s â€Å"Systematic Theology† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More 4 Frame, Systematic Theology, 638. 5 Ibid., 739. This critical writing on Chapters 23-32 in John Frame’s â€Å"Systematic Theology† was written and submitted by user Sophie Frye to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Voting Kiosk System Essay Example

Voting Kiosk System Essay Example Voting Kiosk System Essay Voting Kiosk System Essay A COMPUTER BASE INFORMATION AND INTERNET KIOSK SYSTEM FOR BLESSED ELENA ACADEMY Submitted by: Antonio, John Leo Castro, Angelo Grafe, Alfredo Vasquez, Bobby Submitted to: Prof. Maria Carmela Racelis Date of Submission July 14, 2011 ABSTRACT Our propose system scopes the transformation of the manual system of blessed Elena academy auditing on their students information about payments, balances, fees, school activities updates, report card every grading period into a computer based system that can help them a lot in auditing and monitoring their student records. It is just simply like an information kiosk on our university which can be found at ST gate and CS gate wherein they can access easily their information such as their grades and balances and other important details on their own. We would like to propose this Information and Internet kiosk systems to utilize similar software and hardware and Information kiosks are designed to provide access to one or more focused applications, such as browsing chools/students information or learning about schools available services. Internet kiosks, on the other hand, provide on-demand access to a wide variety of Internet sites, email, and more providing aspects of both. Whether you are working on computer information kiosks or an Internet kiosk system, we make sure that the software offers a secure, locked down environment and robust kiosk management tools. We would develop our propose system at vb. net platform and sql as the database. Propose System features: 1) Balance Inquiry 2) Account Details 3) Daily Grade Report 4) Information System for students 5) SMS Technology capable 6) Internet Access 7) School Activities Updates 8) Barcode ID for Entity Recognition Users of the system 1) Students 2) IT personnel 3) Teachers

Islame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Islame - Essay Example He was able to mobilize faithful under the Muslim religion and the contemporary objective among religious leaders, to ensure converts and spiritual nourishment of faithful, influences them to draw inspiration from Muhammad’s success as a spiritual leader. Muhammad’s ability to attract people and convert then to his opinion also had political aspects that politicians look regard. Success as a political leader is another feature that has established Muhammad as a religious and political role model. His service to the state was adorable and is what most politicians want to convey, as their potential, to the public. The role of faithful in building the society also establishes Muhammad’s leadership as a trait that religious leaders wish to emulate. Muhammad’s was also a moral personality who ensured just judgements and the role of ethics in attaining and maintaining leadership positions established the prophet as a standard for religious and political leaders to emulate. These features have influence on the Muslim community and they consider Muhammad a religious and political role

Innovative Nursing Care Delivery Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Innovative Nursing Care Delivery Models - Essay Example Development Team for Innovative Nursing Care Model As a matter of fact, implementation of any particular change in organization needs proper planning along with the formation of an effective team that can execute the planned activities accordingly. Contextually, the team working towards proper implementation of the model will encompass two Registered Nurses (RNs) along with two assistants. It has been observed that there are altogether 1,047 licensed beds in the organization, which will further be divided into subsections with equal numbers in each one of them applying this model. Furthermore, each of these sections will be accompanied with a set of RNs and assistants designed to implement the model efficiently (Adventist Healthcare, 2013; Health Workforce Solutions, 2008). The rationale for selecting RNs and assistants can be justified, as the model selected for implementing in the particular healthcare organization follows the â€Å"Human Caring Theory of Jean Watson†, which depicts the role of nursing practices or nurses in assuring knowledgeable and unique healthcare practices. Hence, based on this ground, Adventist Healthcare will need to prioritize and select RNs to ensure proper implementation of the chosen model. Moreover, the decision of selecting nurses should also be targeted towards providing opportunities for nurses to enhance their position and role in the healthcare organization. ... iciency within the workplace by utilizing the available manpower more effectively in delivering better quality care to the patients (Alliance for Health Reform, 2011). Additionally, the team that will implement the model will also include the top management officials to supervise the approaches of the RNs and their assistants throughout the process in Adventist Healthcare (Health Workforce Solutions, 2008). This will in turn ensure that the model operates in alignment with the set organizational goals and values to achieve maximum efficiency when implemented. Incorporation of Nurse Caring Delivery Model in Adventist Healthcare As illustrated earlier, with the assistance of the Nurse Caring Delivery Model, the management in Adventist Healthcare will be able to directly correlate with the organizational objectives to be achieved through its mission and values. The model is primarily a team-oriented nursing framework, developed entirely with the intention to ensure humanistic approach i n delivering healthcare services to the patients. It is also believed that the model ensures cost efficient services with maximum quality and safety for the patients along with continuous improvement in set of services provided. Moreover, another vital aspect of the model is that it augments work satisfaction level amid the nurses, subsequently resulting in declined turnover of the same within the organization (Adventist Healthcare, 2013; Health Workforce Solutions, 2008). In order to attain the complete benefits of the model, it will be implemented in the organization following certain planned steps. The model will be implemented in separate departments within the organization comprising of a medical unit, a telemetry unit and an intensive care unit among others. After a stipulated period

HR Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

HR Strategy - Essay Example The King Faisal Medical City is just one of the elements in the plan of the Saudi government to structure world-class healthcare institutions all through the kingdom. PESTEL Analysis The King Faisal Medical City has hospitals that specialize in neurology, cardiology, rehabilitation, oncology, and ophthalmology. These hospitals have a capacity of more than 1000 beds. The city also has other social institutions like mosques, retail outlets, apartments and a hotel within the King Faisal Medical City. The main aim for concentrating such modern healthcare facilities in one region was to try and facilitate for the de-institutionalization of healthcare by availing family and patient-centred healthcare delivery options to the public. The King Faisal Medical City, which is based in Saudi Arabia’s Southern Province, is a 262,836-square-meter medical city. There are different external factors that affect the manner in which operations within it take place. Political Review Even though it is a recognized fact that the Middle East is an area that tends to be politically unstable, the nation of Saudi Arabia does not usually have many incidents of political instability because of its authoritarian government. The nation also holds approximately 25% of the world’s total supply of oil reserves. This means that not only is the nation well able to structure and plan for modern medical facilities for its population, the existence of its reserves in oil also encourages other nations to push for stability in the nation even when many of its neighbours are embroiled in conflicts. Saudi Arabia’s political stability has encouraged health-related organizations in developed nations to invest in it. Economic Competitive Review Saudi Arabia’s economy, propelled forward by its oil reserves, has been instrumental in the transformation of all of the nation’s different sectors- among which is the healthcare sector. Today, Saudi Arabia’s economy is rank ed as one of the most competitive ones in the international arena (AlFaris, Abdulgader, and Alkhenizan, 431). It pharmaceutical market has been witnessing double digit growth on an annual basis since half a decade ago (Al Juhani and Kishk, 167). This is quite an impressive and attractive platform for foreign health-based corporations which are looking to invest in a vibrant market. According to Almalki, Fitzgerald, and Clark, Saudi Arabia, along with other nations such as Russia, China, Brazil, and India, present the best markets for health based companies (Almalki, Fitzgerald, and Clark, 1481). Socio-Cultural Review The Saudi Arabian healthcare sector is mostly reliant on expatriate medical personnel to fill vacancies for medical practitioners such as nurses, doctors, and pharmacists. Being probably the most conservative culture in the world, Saudi Arabia’s nationals may not be able to take over many of these vacancies because of existing cultural prohibitions that bar them from engaging in some medical practices. The reality of foreign workers taking over the majority of jobs in Saudi Arabia’s medical sector means that the overall culture is constantly being exposed to different changes from foreigners. Technological review The majority of local Saudi firms do not have the technology required to create products such as are required to effect

The Black Sea Region History Essay

The Black Sea Region History Essay On the south-western side of the hill surmounting Lake Ohrid, travelers will find oneof the architectural masterpieces of medieval Orthodox Christianity. The church, that was dedicated to St. John the Theologian, and also known as Kaneno, whose consecration dated back to no later than.1447, is usually known as a legacy of Medieval Slavic empire (whether one calls it as Bulgarian, or, Macedonian, depends on ones fancy). Taking into consideration, however, its unique style that reminds us a highly successful combination of Byzantine and Armenian architectural technologies, it seems more appropriate to calldt.as-a monument of the cultural integrity of the wider Black Sea rim. The Black Sea world, just like the church Kaneno, had been an artifact of cultural mixture, composed of various peoples of different faiths, vernaculars, customs and practices until the first decades of the twentieth century. They had been, moreover, living in a well-integrated and well-organized socio-economic entity that was tightly bound up by common water. Artisans of famous silver ornament in Trabzon would live on the Ukrainian wheat and Bulgarian wine, while the wealthy mercantile famnyin Odessa would enjoy their afternoon tea with dried figs from Anatolia. Life of the people around the Black Sea had been directly resting on the incidents at the opposite side of the water. They had kept watchful eyes on the course of event there. However, such a vivid image of the Black Sea region seems to be quite perplexing, if not alien, for us, people living in the twenty first century. Just like the record inscribing the name of the architect of the church Kaneno had been lost, our knowled ge on the Pontus world is too fragmented to envision a unified picture. The Pontus world also addresses us a perplexing question. Is it a mere accidental coincident that the three mercantile nations, Armenians, Greeks, and Jews, who had once been major lubricants for the organic mechanism in this world, suddenly disappeared from the Black littoral at the very moment when we lost the vivid image of this region? Armenians, Greeks, and Jews were all historical nations well-known by their conspicuous activities in commerce and financing. All of them had their residential centers around the Black Sea before the twentieth century. Armenians had been widely dwelling in the southern Caucasus and the eastern Anatolia, and displayed their strong presence in every commercial centre around the Sea. Greeks had densely populated in the Black Sea littoral as well, and often constituted plurality in major trade entrepots like Istanbul, Trabzon, Odessa, Varna, Constanta and Krasnodar. Until the last decades of the nineteenth century, majority of the world Jewry had lived in the Russian Black provinces and their hinterlands. However, it is an arduous work for us to trace out them on the contemporary ethnic map of the region. It seems as if they had taken away our memory of the region with them when they retreated to the backstage of history of the Black Sea. What kind of process of modern conceptualization prevents us from shaping integrated scenery of the Black Sea region in our mind? The easiest answer might be the one that seeks the root in the nationalization of history. By the word Cemomorski rajon, an ordinary Bulgarian will think of an area the word Karadeniz bolgesi. For both of them, cities like Kisinev, Akkerman, or Batumi are not the part of their Black Sea region, but some unknown foreign cities. The nation-state, as a model for historical thought, has obscured many elements. The area studies, self-styled inter-disciplinary science, seem to have overcome the narrowing views of the national history, as they claim to have adopted an approach that makes it possible to analyze more than one nation-state at the same time. However, they seem, to be suffering from the same type of shortcomings. As for the Black Sea studies, there are too many candidates for the possible frame work, Slavic Studies, Balkan Studies, Caucasus Studies, Russian (and Soviet) .Studies (or its new version Eurasian Studies), Turkish and Islamic Studies, or Mediterranean Studies, but none is enough to cover all aspects of the Black Sea region. In order to comprehend the Black Sea region, it might be necessary to mobilize several area studies, but at the same time, it would mean saturation of methodologies. Such inherent weakness of the area studies seems, partly; to come from their methodological ancestors. Disciplines like Slavic Studies or Russian and Eurasian Studies could not completel y cut off themselves with the tradition of Slavic philology. Both Turkish studies and Iranian Studies are, by and large, nd more than a dummy branch of the Orientalism (as its original meaning 6f the word). Area studies are still accompanying preconceptions that had been inherent to their methodological forefathers. Apart from methodological questions, it seems relevant to interrogate a primordial question: where, at all, is the destination of intellectual endeavors of the area studies, or more simply, for what purpose are they serving? Recent developments may suggest us a part of the answer. There took place a* drastic reshaping of the area studies after 1989. East European studies have already divided into Central European Studies and Balkan Studies. Former Soviet Studies have also transformed themselves into Eurasian Studies. As the change is apparently linked to the shift of geopolitical situation, the answer must be lying somewhere beyond the natural evolution of methodological thinking, or survival strategies of individual researchers. The recent change indeed bears marked similarities to the realignments of traditional disciplines and eventual crystallization into area studies after the World War II. Both of the cognitive processes went through strong impact of the hegemonic shifts that h ad reshaped geopolitical map of the globe. The shift inevitably brought the regions drastic changes. From economic point of view, each region had to modify its trade regulations, financial mechanism, monetary policy, and working practices to be fit into the new situation, thus, it precipitated changes in the structure, and even mode of production. Political systems were also required to accommodate themselves to the new relations. As these changes caused considerable stress to the society, social tissue had to undergo significant metamorphosis. The area studies analyze various aspects of these changes, and provide, as a whole, a systematic knowledge to cope with the new reality. Therefore, they are working, irrespective of the intension of individual researcher, for special concern of particular forces that have common interest in a certain form of regional division of labor. Indeed area studies seem to pay less attention to the phenomena that tend to slip out of the scope of their main concerns, especially those overlapping several areas. By reassessing historical narratives concerning three nations, this paper tries to demonstrate the significance of those phenomena that have been made invisible by the frame of cognizance which was formulated in the course of modernity. The Ottoman Conquest and the Black Sea regional economy The Black Sea and surrounding lands had been playing significant roles as a hinge that bound together the Mediterranean, Central Asian Steppe, and Indian-Middle East economies since antiquity. The economic wealth of the region was an important factor in the political and economic stability of the Macedonian, Roman, and. Byzantine Empires in the Classical and Medieval times. The Black Sea also formed one of the major arteries joining the Islamic world and north-eastern Europe, and served as an important commercial rout between the ninth to early thirteenth century. Within itself, the Black Sea region, together with the Aegean, had formed a closely knit economic entity, as the northern Black Sea region produced and exported grain, meat, fish, and other animal products, while the southern Black Sea and the Aegean exported wine, olive oil, dried fruit, and luxury goods in exchange [Kortepeter, 1966: 86; Peacock, 2007:66-67]. By the time the Byzantine control of the region collapsed at the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Black Sea trade had largely fallen into the hand of the Venetian and Genoese merchants. At first Venetians seemed to have taken upper-hand, but Genoa succeeded in gaining a t near monopoly over the Black Sea commerce after 1261. By the time, Genoa had been building up a network of its colonies covering all lands surrounding the Black Sea. The Genoese BlackSea Empire was, however, relatively short-lived, as there emerged a formidable power in the western corner of Anatolia at the end of the thirteenth century, and it was to bring the Italian hegemony in the Black Sea finally to an end in the course of fifteenth century. Starting as a small warriors state, the Ottomans followed a gradual, but steady course of territorial expansion during the first half of the fourteenth century. They were successful in intruding into the Balkans after crossing the Dardanelles in 1346. By the end of the century, the Ottoman sultans had established themselves firmly on the vast landmass lying at the both sides of the Straits. Although the Ottorrfans at first did not show much interest in controlling the Black Sea commerce, a clear Ottoman policy regarding the Black Sea began to emerge during the reign of the Mehmed II (1451-1481) [Kortepeter, 1966: 88]. Upon assuming the throne the throne, Sultan the Conqueror embarked on a series of campaign to destroy the Latin colonial empires in the eastern Mediterranean, as a part of his project to reassemble the former Byzantine territories. Especially after the takeover (ri AXrooTj) of the Byzantine capital in 1453, Mehmed II felt it necessary to establish a complete control over the resources of the Black Sea region for the reconstruction and development of his new capital. In 1459, the Ottomans first deprived the Genoese of Amasra, the most important port on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, as it formed, together with Caffa, the shortest route in the north-south communication in the sea. After the fall of Amasra, the Genoese colonies were confined to the north western corner of the Black Sea. The seizure of the main Genoese colony of Caffa took place in 1475. Caffa had long been the chief trade and manufacturing centre for the Genoese in the Black Sea. After the fall of Caffa, the Genoese gri p on the Black Sea considerably weakened and the Ottomans captured all of the Italian colonies in the Crimean and the Caucasus within a decade. The only remaining trade centers of significance were two Moldavian port cities, Kilia and Akkerman. Both of them fell to the Ottoman hand in 1484. In this way, by the beginning of the sixteenth century the Ottomans had turned the Black Sear into an Ottoman lake [Inalcik Quataert, 1994: 271-3; Kortepeter, 1966: 92-3]. i The Ottoman conquest brought about a new socio-economic system into the Black Sea region. Now, majority the coastal lands of the Sea were directly connected to the imperial capital, Istanbul, and a new regional division of labor was introduced in order to maintain this extraordinarily large city. Moreover, the Ottoman Empire employed a kind of command economy whose main purpose was to maintain its military predominance. Hence, the government put strong control over the transportation of manufactured goods and raw materials produced within its domain, imposing de facto ban on the export, while, on the other hand, it showed lavish attitude to the imported commodities that its lands could not yield. Under this regime, many parts of the empire constituted an autarkic economic entity. Hence, it was natural that the Black Sea region, along with other part of the Empire, constituted an integrated, but closed to outside, system. Non-Muslim Merchants as coordinating elements One of the most important changes that took place after the Ottoman conquest of the Black Sea region was the termination of the Italian predominance in favor of the native Ottoman subjects. Owing to the poor development of Muslim mercantile class at the beginning of the Ottoman-conquest in this region, it was the non-Muslims that took initiative in forming the: wider regional network. Already during the Italian rule of the Black Sea, the Greeks and other indigenous people, together with Jews and Armenians, played the role of middlemen and widely dwelled in the Genoese trade centers. Many of them were employed as apprentices in the Latin enterprises, and accumulated the knowledge of the business practices in the Levant trade. Even before the fall of Caffa, the Italians were losing their control of the oriental trade in the northern countries, and were being replaced by Ottoman subjects, mostly Armenian Christians, Greek Orthodox Christians and Jews. The Ottoman government found in them reliable traders and contractors as middlemen within the empire. Thus, non-Muslim merchants took advantage of the new opportunity of the closure of the Black Sea to the foreigners in the sixteenth century, and they made use of their privileged position to traverse the Ottoman domain, in order to organize trading networks across southern and western European cities [Kortepeter, 1966: 101; inalcik Quataert, 1994: 272, 209]. The first element that gained most from this new order seemed to be Greeks. The Greek merchants of this period widely operated in Ottoman inter-regional trade. They were in control of a significant portion of the commerce of the eastern half of the Balkan Peninsula. Greeks were particularly active in the Ottoman capital, as traders and sea captains, carrying grain from the Balkan coastal regions adjacent to the Black Sea. The Greek merchants, allegedly descendants of the Byzantine aristocracy, widely engaged in tax farming, large-scale trade and shipping both in international and domestic. However, after the execution of tfye great tycoon in the Greek community of Istanbul, Michael Cantakuzino  §aitanoglu in 1578, the predominant position of the Greek merchants in the imperial economy began to shake [Stoianovich, 1960: 241; Inalcik Quataert, 1994:517]. Instead of Greeks, Jewish bankers and tax-farmers surfaced as predominant elements in Ottoman finance and long-distance trade during the second half of the sixteenth century. The expulsion of the Marrano Jews from the Catholic countries especially contributed to the Jewish prosperity in the Ottoman economy. The Marrano Jews seemed to introduce into the Ottoman Empire the techniques of European capitalism, banking and the mercantilist concept of state economy, and played decisive role in the finances [inalcik Quataert, 1994: 212]. Jews also played a considerable role in the development of the Danube basin. As tax farmers, Jews were managing many Danubian ports and customhouses [Levi, 1982: 26-27]. But the Jewish domination of the Ottoman economy could not last long. Already in the 1650s, Jewish merchants had been less active in Ottoman territory than during the second half of the sixteenth century. The Jews were losing the functions that they had acquired in the sixteenth century, in cluding the farming of custom duties, minting, and the positions of money exchanger for the ottoman notables. Westward Jewish migration that occurred synchronously with the shift of the global economy to the trans-Atlantic trade was a part of reason. Another reason is the renewed expansion of activities of Greek merchants that forced many Jewish merchants out of Balkan trade [Panzac, 1992: 203; inalcik Quataert, 1994: 519]. The presence of the Armenian merchants in the Black Sea region had been strongly felt long before the Ottoman conquest. Armenians had settled in Crimea as early as the eleventh century [Panossian, 2006: 82]. They were important trade partners for the Nogays in the North Caucasus, and engaged widely in the transaction of slaves and large quantities of butter and furs [Kortepeter, 1966: 104]. They were predominant in the Moldavian [Lwow-Akkerman) route of trade during the fourteenth century, and obtained the trade privilege for all Ruthenia in 1402. The leader of the caravan on this route was always an Armenian throughout the fifteenth century. Until that time, Armenians had widely settled in the commercial centers in Crimea and Rumania. According to an Ottoman survey in 1520, there were 2,783 households in Caffa, out of which about 60% was Christian, mostly Armenian [inalcik Quataert, 1994: 280, 286]. The Ottoman conquest of the Black Sea region brought about more favorable conditions for the Armenian merchants. In the Ottoman Empire, Armenians, like Greeks, constituted a Christian community that was accorded with religious and judicial autonomies. Their religion also gave them easier access to the lands of Christian Europe. They had already firmly established themselves in southern Poland and Transylvania, and controlled local commerce. Making use of the Ottoman trade policy as the linchpin, the Armenian traders succeeded in building up their commercial network, extending as far as Venice and Central Europe. The Armenians could also make use of the rivalry between Ottomans and Russians in order to establish their new trade route. Several Armenian merchants played conspicuous role in the court of Ivan the Terrible, and further expanded their commercial activities as far as the northern end of the Grand Duchy of Moscow [Goffman, 2002: 15; Braudel, 1992: 155]. The Armenian merchants had another advantage, as they were going to expand their activities further in the east. The Armenian middlemen settled in Persia found in silk an eminently marketablecommodity. In the seventeenth century, the Ottoman Armenian merchants distinguished themselves by their association with an international trade network basing around New Julfa, a suburban city of Isfahan. Merchants from this city took an active role in the Iranian silk trade which spanned the globe from Narva, Sweden to Shanghais, China. In this way, the Armenian merchants had been successful in establishing their trading network stretching from China to Western Europe by the eighteenth century [McCabe, 2001]. In the course of their expansion, the commercial activities of three non-Muslim merchant communities widely transcended the Ottoman borders. It was, by no means, the loss of weight of the Ottoman commerce for them by the eighteenth century. The commerce on Ottoman territory continued to be crucial for the maintenance of these networks, as the goods they traded were often of Ottoman manufacture or had transited through the Ottoman state. The trade activities of Armenians, just like those of Greeks and Jews, remained intrinsic to the economic system of the Ottoman Empire, and the Ottoman wealth was central to their prosperity [Inalcik Quataert, 1994: 517-8]. As we have, hitherto, surveyed the significance of the non-Muslims merchants in the Ottoman Black Sea trade, it is necessary to emphasize that we should not downplay the importance of the Muslim merchants. Although they were late comers in this region, already in the fifteenth century, Muslim merchants had outnumbered the others at least in the southern section of the south-north trade over the routes of pursa-Istanbul-Caffa or Akkerman by sea and overland by Edime-Kilia-Akkerman [Inalcik Quataert, 1994: 278]. It seems probable that the role of the Muslim merchants constantly gained importance in the course of the sixteenth and seventeenth century, and eventually took over the non-Muslims, especially in the intra-regional trade. The position of the Muslim merchants in the intra-Ottoman trade was much stronger than the non-Muslims during the eighteenth century. The minorities almost always held only a secondary position in the domestic maritime trade. According to an Ottoman document of 1782 or a list of cereal ships to Istanbul provide us an interesting data that out of the total 56 names of merchants, 55 were Turks or other Muslims, only one was Greek or Albanian, and even he was associated with a Turk. The document also shows us that out of 158 ships captains, 136 (86%) were Turks or other Muslims, and 22 (14%) were Greeks or Albanians. Therefore, the Muslim merchants had secured almost total control over the supply of wheat to Istanbul by the Black Sea route [Panzac, 1992: 195, 203]. Socio-economic features of the non-Muslim merchant communities From historical point of view, merchants, especially those who engaged in cross-cultural- trade, possessed, more often than not, ambivalent characters. As frequenters in two or more distinct societies, they had to master several important knowledge and skills that were usually unfamiliar to those who lived inside a particular culture. So, they brought with them, not only a variety of foreign goods and wares, but new technologies and information. These cultural goods often catalyzed a transformation of the host society. In the case of the Ottoman non-Muslim merchants, they became major actors in a technological and cultural interplay between the Ottoman Empire and the rest of Europe. It wa,s their trading network that helped produce a uniform commercial method throughout ti?e Mediterranean and European worlds before the  ¦ nineteenth century [Goffman, 2002: 16]. On the other hand, every society that based principally on the production of use values would inherently harbor antagonism toward the merchant. Such hostilities were often boosted by the stresses that arouse in the course of cultural transformation. Therefore, the position of the cross-cultural merchants was constantly under the threat of eventual outburst of hatred against them. In order to avoid, or at least to alleviate, the tension with the host society, the merchant community had to be adaptive. In the case of the non-Muslim merchants in the Ottoman Empire, we can notice strong tendencies of compliance to the authority. Ottoman Jews and Greeks played major role in the finances during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and even later. They were the major players in the tax-farming, the most important means of capital formation at that time, and their accumulated wealth became indispensable for the state finances and the palace. In return for their service, the Ottoman government conferred them various privileges. Several Jews were appointed the court physicians and imperial treasurers. Greeks were employed as dragomans (official interpreter) and, later, rulers of Moldavia and Wallachia [Inalcik Quataert, 1994: 209], The Ottoman Armenians also played significant role in the palace. The upper strata of their community, often called as amiras, made their presence strongly felt in government as bankers or money lenders. In the tax farming, they provided the capital as sarrafs (bankers), and sold the commodities collected in kind as merchants. After the eighteenth century, they became instrumental in keeping the fragile Ottoman financial system functioning. It is symbolized by the fact that the prominent Dtizian family monopolized the position of superintendent of the state mint office from 1757 until 1880 [Panzac, 1992: 203; Panossian, 2006: 85]. Probably, the most important in this aspect was the role played by their religious authorities. The Ottoman government traditionally granted wide range of religious and judicial autonomies to its Christian and Jewish subjects, calling each of these congregations as millet. The Greek, Jewish, and Armenian mercantile class in Istanbul practically monopolized the posts of the highest priests of their millets, and did their utmost in preserving the imperial order, by securing the loyalty to the sultan among their coreligionists. Thanks to these endeavors, Jews and Armenians were often praised by the authority as millet sadakat, or loyal subjects. In the case of Greek Orthodox, they failed to win this title because of the several unruly elements like semi-nomadic mountaineers or provincial peasants with independent spirits, the upper strata of their community, however, generally earned high esteem among the Muslim authorities. In spite of such functions, non-Muslim merchants did not dare to go over a certain limit of the host societies, because over adaptation to the host society was suicidal to their existence. It would increase the tension with the other society where they made business at the same time. For example, the conversion to Islam might promise better position in the Ottoman society, but it would make very difficult, if not impossible, to earn by the international trade. Thus, probably the best strategy for the merchants was to blur the demarcation line with the host society by making their existence more and more vague and ambiguous. By doing so, they could expect more secure conditionsfor their survival. It was, therefore, no coincidence that the three non-Muslim merchant communities in the Ottoman Empire possessed marked characteristic of special multilingual!sm. As the other Jews in the Western Europe, Jews in the Ottoman Empire adopted the languages of the people among whom they lived. They could, usually quite fluently, communicate in Turkish and other majority languages, but they nevert fully assimilated linguistically to the host societies. The Romaniotes, who had long lived among the Greeks, adopted vernacular Greek as their communal language,.while the, Ashkenazi, East European Jews continued > to speak Yiddish in their home. The most influential element of the Ottoman Jews, the Sephardi, preserved medieval Spanish, where their ancestors had been living until the Catholic take-over. Moreover, all of these Jewish vernaculars contained significant portion of Hebraic expression. Thus, the dialect expresses the two contradictory tendencies: the integration to the surrounding soci ety and the isolation. The Ottoman Armenians shared the same characteristic. While they continued to use ancient Armenian as their spiritual symbol especially in their place of worship, almost all of them were either bilingual or, in some cases, monolingual speakers of Turkish. Turcophone among the Armenians was so strong that Vartan Pasa, an Armenian writer in the nineteenth century, in the preface to his History of Napoleon Bonaparte, justifies the fact that he had written this work in Turkish with the argument that the Armenians who knew ancient language (krapar) were very few and that the new literary language based on the vernacular was still not sufficiently developed thus, that the Turkish language was the best tool to the majority [Strauss, 2003:41, 55]. The case of Greeks was much more complicated, but it might show rather vividly the advantages of linguistic ambiguity for the prosperity of the mercantile community. During the Ottoman period, the word Greeks seldom denoted the linguistic community. Many Greeks in the Anatolian plateau spoke Turkish dialect, Karamanh, while the Greeks in Syria and Egypt used Arabic as their ordinary means of communication. The Greeks in the Balkans were more perplexing. There were many Greeks who spoke Bulgarian, Vlacho-Arouman, Albanian, and Turkish. The linguistic variety derived from the context that the communal identity of the Ottoman Greeks usually conflated with the Rum millet identity. Within the Ottoman Empire, the Greek Orthodox Christians, especially those who composed the urban strata, were collectively referred to Romans, members of the Rum millet, regardless of their ethnic origins. Such tendencies were strongly felt especially among the mercantile class. The notion of the Greek Orthodox Christian was indeed a social category. In many parts of the Balkans, contemporary denomination of nations, like Serbs and Bulgarians, denoted the peasants in particular locations. When Slavs moved into the urban space or became members of the middle class, they generally shifted their identity to Greek. The local Christian higher strata were Grecophone in Serbia. In the Bulgarian lands, the domination of cultural life by the ecumenical patriarchate led to the promotion of Grecophone culture in liturgy, archives, and correspondence [Roudometof, 1998:13-14]. The tendency became more conspicuous after 1750, when the prosperity of the Greek Orthodox merchants was reaching its peak. Owing to the predominance in trade, Greek became the primary language of commerce in the eastern Mediterranean, and Orthodox Christian merchants, regardless of their ethnic origins, generally spoke Greek and often assumed Greek names. The middle class Orthodox Christians were largely acculturated into the Greeks or under heavy Grecophone influences [Stoianovich, 1960: 291]. The ambiguity or ambivalency of the groups seems to have been felt stronger at such elements like new comers, lower members, and/or provincial elites, than at the centre of the community. For example, during the first half of the nineteenth century, the biiingualism, especially with the dialect spoken by the majority member of the surroundings, was more conspicuous among newly immigrated members from local villages than those who had lived in urban space for generations. It reflected in their identities that veteran urban dwellers were adamant in their Greek consciousness in contrast to the new comers with mixed identity with Bulgarian element [Markova, 1976: 43-54]. The same was true for the Greek ecclesiastic circle, where lower clergy tended to remain within the boundary of Metropolitan diocese, while the higher hierarchies rotated several dioceses of different Patriarchates. As a result, high dignities in the Church possessed deep-seated belief in the Hellenic nature of the Ortho doxy; ion the other hand, parish priests widely shared non-Hellenic culture with their parishioners. To summarize our discussion hitherto, the non-Muslim merchants in the Black Sea region bore the following attributes as groups. They were religious congregation as well as occupational category. As for the latter, they were, more often than not, engaged in external trade, or in other words, were agencies tonnecting different cultural, socio-economic entities. The members of these groups were usually quite proficient in special occupational expertise. They knew well specific business and social practices of various places, and they were multilingual for the most of part. They were generally more adaptive to the host society, and, at least on the surface, very compliant to the existing authority. The demarcation line between them and the other groups was vague, and often intentionally blurred. Their ambiguity or ambivalency was more intense, more strongly felt at peripheral or lower strata than at the core. Perhaps, this was the most important attribute that made possible the non-Musli m merchants to maintain their social and economic function, while preserving their identities, without provoking serious conflict with the host societies. The above mentioned characteristics of the Ottoman non-Muslim merchants might seem to fit well into a wider category of Diaspora merchants. But, at the same time, there arises an uncomfortable feeling to call those merchants who dwelled in their homeland as Diaspora, because, except for the Jews, many Greek Orthodox and Armenian merchants lived in the territory of their former Kingdoms or Empire. Moreover, there were many non-Mercantile members within the Greek Orthodox and Armenian communities in the Ottoman Empire (the Jews were exception in this case as well). It does not seem reasonable to separate the merchant groups from the peasant mass when we discuss them as ethno-religious communities. Taking into these inconveniences into consideration, it seems more pertinent to apply the old notion of people-class,1 proposed by Abram Leon, for the case study of the Ottoman non-Muslim merchants. In his work that examined the historical development of the Jewish communities in Europe, Leon 1 turned

Essay --

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE During my undergraduate studies in the department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering at the PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India, I had a strong inclination towards courses like Probability & Statistics and Object-Oriented Programming that were closely related to applied mathematics and software programming. My final year project at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bangalore furthered my interest in these subjects. The project involved usage of structured programming and mathematical modelling techniques to estimate the accurate chemical composition for Electroless nickel plating process of aircraft engines. Even prior to the undergraduate course, I had an affinity for mathematics and computational science. I had secured 97% in mathematics and 95% in computer science at my high school examinations. I was a chess player at school and college, this was crucial in shaping my analytical thinking and problem solving skills. My first job at Mu-Sigma Business Solutions, Bangalore, a leading data science and decision analytics firm, served as the ideal platform to start exploring the world of analytics. The key responsibility as a Business Analyst in the company was to use applied mathematics, statistical techniques and software packages such as Statistical Analytics Software (SAS), Structured Query Language (SQL) and the R programming language in order to provide data-driven business solutions to the client by using. My first project at Mu-Sigma involved employing ‘predictive analytics’ to determine the projected sales of the signature drug of a ‘Fortune-500’ pharmaceutical company. The results of this project were used by the client in making important decisions on their inventory management process. ... ...s and processes that would permit educational institutes to improve student performances, reduce drop-out rates and increase enrolment at higher levels. On the other hand, I would like my work to equip students with the capacity to make informed decisions about their educational and vocational prospects. I firmly believe that the strong course curriculum at the University of San Francisco, its luminous faculty, its strategic geographical location and, most importantly, its unique and impactful practical course ‘Analytics Practicum’ that is founded on live client projects will empower me in pursuing my goals. I am fully aware of the challenges involved in a demanding course as this and I strongly trust that my professional experience, technical expertise and personal commitment will allow me to make significant contributions to the research at your university

Education Philosophy Outline

Philosophy of Education Outline I. Introduction a. Ever since I was in elementary school, I wanted to become a teacher. I have had some outstanding teachers in my lifetime and I would love to carry on the legacy. I want to inspire the future generation to make the world a better place. b. Every teacher has their own personal views on teaching, learning, goals, and professional development. c. Teaching is not just a job. Teachers mold their students’ futures every day. I believe it is highly important that each teacher strives to make a difference in each student’s life.II. Teaching d. Tools are a necessary part of learning. I plan to use a variety of tools, including SmartBoard technology, books, videos, props, etc. I believe students learn the best by participating in hands-on activities as opposed to only lectures. e. I believe that a teacher should play many roles, not just one. This includes being the motivator, facilitator, challenger, and supporter. f. The School of Thought I agree with is Democratic. This stresses the process of learning, not just the product. It also promotes outside-the-box thinking. g.My preferred educational philosophy is progressivism. I favor an open classroom where students often work together and learn to deal with social problems as well as material from the curriculum. III. Learning h. Learning is something we do every minute of every day. When someone learns, they are broadening their horizons and gaining new experiences. i. Learning is an adventure and a voyage. j. In my classroom, I plan to incorporate a variety of strategies. This includes discussion, but will also include hands-on activities, group work, and presentations. IV. Teaching Goals k.To incorporate out-of-the-box thinking and new ideas. l. To make sure every student understands the subject matter. m. To be open to change and spontaneity. V. Personal or Professional Development n. To make each student truly feel that they are a vital part of the clas sroom, and that they have the power to make a difference. o. To be just as passionate about my work and the subjects studied as I expect my students to be. VI. Conclusion p. When I become a teacher, I hope to change the lives of each and every student. q. Making a difference is inspiring our future generation to change the world.

Best Guess on the Year ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Was Written

Best Guess on the Year ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Was Written Although there is no record of when Shakespeare actually wrote Romeo and Juliet, it was first performed in 1594 or 1595. It is likely that Shakespeare wrote the play shortly before its premiere performance. But while  Romeo and Juliet  is one of Shakespeares most famous plays, the storyline is not entirely his own. So, who wrote the original Romeo and Juliet and when?   Italian Origins The origins of Romeo and Juliet are convoluted, but many people trace it back to an old Italian tale based on the lives of two lovers who tragically died for each other in Verona, Italy in 1303. Some say the lovers, although not from the Capulet and Montague families, were real people.   While this may as well be true, there is no clear record of such a tragedy occurring in Verona in 1303. Tracing it back, the year seems to be proposed by the City of Verona Tourist Site, most likely in order to boost touristic appeal.   Capulet and Montague Families The Capulet and Montague families were most likely based on the Cappelletti and Montecchi families, which did exist in Italy during the 14th century. While the term family is used, Cappelletti and Montecchi were not the names of private families but rather local political bands. In modern terms, perhaps the word clan or faction is more accurate. The Montecchi was a merchant family that competed with other families for power and influence in Verona. But there is no record of a rivalry between them and the Cappelletti. Actually, the Cappelletti family was based in Cremona. Early Text Versions of Romeo and Juliet In 1476, the Italian poet, Masuccio Salernitano, wrote a story titled Mariotto e Gianozza. The story takes place in Siena and centers around two lovers who are secretly married against the wishes of their families and end up dying for each other due to a tragic miscommunication. In 1530, Luigi da Porta published Giulietta e Romeo,  which was based on Salernitanos story. Every aspect of the plot is the same. The only differences are that Porta changed the names of the lovers and the setting location, Verona rather than Siena. Also, Porta added the ball scene in the beginning, where Giulietta and Romeo meet and has Giuletta  commit suicide by stabbing herself with a dagger rather than wasting away like in Salernitanos version. English Translations Portas Italian story was translated in 1562 by Arthur Brooke, who published the English version under the title The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet. William Painter retold the story in prose in his 1567 publication, Palace of Pleasure. It is most likely that William Shakespeare read these English versions of the story and was thus inspired to pen Romeo and Juliet.

Mark Twains Colloquial Prose Style

Mark Twain's Colloquial Prose Style Described by biographer Mark Krupnick as the single most important cultural critic in [the 20th] century among American men of letters, Lionel Trilling is best known for his first collection of essays, The Liberal Imagination (1950). In this excerpt from his essay on Huckleberry Finn, Trilling discusses the robust purity of Mark Twains prose style and its influence on almost every contemporary American writer. Mark Twains Colloquial Prose Style from The Liberal Imagination, by Lionel Trilling In form and style Huckleberry Finn is an almost perfect work. . . . The form of the book is based on the simplest of all novel-forms, the so-called picaresque novel, or novel of the road, which strings its incidents on the line of the hero’s travels. But, as Pascal says, rivers are roads that move, and the movement of the road in its own mysterious life transmutes the primitive simplicity of the form: the road itself is the greatest character in this novel of the road, and the hero’s departures from the river and his returns to it compose a subtle and significant pattern. The linear simplicity of the picaresque novel is further modified by the story’s having a clear dramatic organization: it has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and a mounting suspense of interest. As for the style of the book, it is not less than definitive in American literature. The prose of Huckleberry Finn established for written prose the virtues of American colloquial speech. This has nothing to do with pronunciation or grammar. It has something to do with ease and freedom in the use of language. Most of all it has to do with the structure of the sentence, which is simple, direct, and fluent, maintaining the rhythm of the word-groups of speech and the intonations of the speaking voice. In the matter of language, American literature had a special problem. The young nation was inclined to think that the mark of the truly literary product was a grandiosity and elegance not to be found in the common speech. It therefore encouraged a greater breach between its vernacular and its literary language than, say, English literature of the same period ever allowed. This accounts for the hollow ring one now and then hears even in the work of our best writers in the first half of the last century. English writers of equal stature would never have made the lapses into rhetorical excess that are common in Cooper and Poe and that are to be found even in Melville and Hawthorne. Yet at the same time that the language of ambitious literature was high and thus always in danger of falseness, the American reader was keenly interested in the actualities of daily speech. No literature, indeed, was ever so taken up with matters of speech as ours was. Dialect, which attracted even our serious writers, was the accepted common ground of our popular humorous writing. Nothing in social life seemed so remarkable as the different forms which speech could takethe brogue of the immigrant Irish or the mispronunciation of the German, the affectation of the English, the reputed precision of the Bostonian, the legendary twang of the Yankee farmer, and the drawl of the Pike County man. Mark Twain, of course, was in the tradition of humor that exploited this interest, and no one could play with it nearly so well. Although today the carefully spelled-out dialects of nineteenth-century American humor are likely to seem dull enough, the subtle variations of speech in Huckleberry Fin n, of which Mark Twain was justly proud, are still part of the liveliness and flavor of the book. Out of his knowledge of the actual speech of America Mark Twain forged a classic prose. The adjective may seem a strange one, yet it is apt. Forget the misspellings and the faults of grammar, and the prose will be seen to move with the greatest simplicity, directness, lucidity, and grace. These qualities are by no means accidental. Mark Twain, who read widely, was passionately interested in the problems of style; the mark of the strictest literary sensibility is everywhere to be found in the prose of Huckleberry Finn. It is this prose that Ernest Hemingway had chiefly in mind when he said that all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. Hemingways own prose stems from it directly and consciously; so does the prose of the two modern writers who most influenced Hemingways early style, Gertrude Stein and Sherwood Anderson (although neither of them could maintain the robust purity of their model); so, too, does the best of William Faulkners prose, which, like Mark Twains own, reinforces the colloquial tradition with the literary tradition. Indeed, it may be said that almost every contemporary American writer who deals conscientiously with the problems and possibility of prose must feel, directly or indirectly, the influence of Mark Twain. He is the master of the style that escapes the fixity of the printed page, that sounds in our ears with the immediacy of the heard voice, the very voice of unpretentious truth. See also: Mark Twain on Words and Wordiness, Grammar and Composition Lionel Trillings essay Huckleberry Finn appears in The Liberal Imagination, published by Viking Press in 1950 and currently available in a paperback edition published by New York Review of Books Classics (2008).

Reflection ( Global Media ) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection ( Global Media ) - Assignment Example Old types of media were not as effective as new media. The increasingly powerful role of social media and the internet were proved to influence everything around. It did not take long to spread information all over the world. As a result, some people took advantage of new media and shared biased information with others in order to benefit from it. One more trend is media was greatly explained by the You Tube assignment. The site which was used to post short videos became a huge educational database. I was impressed by the fact that full documentaries and mane educational tutorials could be found easily. You Tube videos could not substitute tutor in the classroom; at the same time, they provided great support and additional sources for information for all people who were interested in the task. Media became more realistic. Online communication can lead to real consequences and suffering. Cyber bullying cases showed to what extent life online can become real for some people. Unfortunately, there current legislation cannot stop the cases of cyber bullying which are harmful for many people and especially teenagers. People need to remember that their online activities can hurt; even though online personalities are different from people who create them, they still remain personalities who deserve understanding and respect. The content of the course was very motivating for every student. Activism assignment stimulated creative thinking in all participants. Moreover, it was a nice opportunity to apply cultural diversity knowledge practically. Communication via internet was quick and effective. It was amazing to understand that people from all around the world could communicate at their usual pace without any delays related to bad network connection or other technical issues. Overall, this course can become a solid knowledge platform

TRADE LIBERALIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Essay

TRADE LIBERALIZATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES - Essay Example As part of its conclusion, the paper also provided some recommendations in relation to the overall improvement of some problems identified in the conduct of the research. Introduction The African continent has been divided into three regions to be able to account for the differences in the level of development. The disaggregation is a manifestation of the level of development – North Africa, the South African Customs Union and the ‘Rest of Africa’. The South African Custom Union is composed of South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia and Botswana. Both North and South Africa are middle-income countries while most countries in the category of Rest of Africa are low-income countries1. North Africa is consists of seven countries namely: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia and Western Sahara. As of today, the region has an estimated population of more than 208 million2. Among the African countries, North Africa has the biggest non-black population that com prise the more than half of the population at 160 million3. Largely, North Africa is an Arab region with the most number of Arab populations in the world. This can be traced from the historical, cultural and religious influence of the Middle East. North African countries have diverse cultural and historical backgrounds that affect the variance of their political, economic and cultural policies. Apart from being collectively referred to as part of the same region, sharing of a common adherence Islamic cultural identity, and colonial history, it is now difficult to find commonality among the countries of North Africa4. As the African continent is known for its enormous wealth of natural resources, with one of the world’s largest countries with vast deposits of diamonds, gold chrome, uranium, copper, iron, cobalt and many other minerals, the same is true with the North African region. It is endowed with richness of natural resources especially in terms of agriculture and mineral s. Libya and Algeria are also known to have large amounts of petroleum5. North Africa is a region that can rouse development internally with all of its’ natural and human resources. The full use and maximization of its natural resources alone can help this region into full economic development. The North African region is not a rookie when it comes to globalization. It basically relies on oil, natural gas, phosphates and agricultural products for exports. Tradable industrial output, non traded goods and services play a not-so significant role in North African’s economy in terms of manufacturing and most of the existing firms and entrepreneur are mainly family-owned and out of date if compared to other emerging markets in the global industry6. The North African region had also been a region of dispute. Just recently, three of its countries have suffered from political chaos, namely Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The growing discontent of the people has greatly affected the r uling power in these countries and the government’s retaliation has further destabilized their respective governments. Protests come in different forms, yet, the peoples’ clamour is the same: protests against political suppression and significant economic reforms. It has been apparent from the series of

Final exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Final exam - Assignment Example The license fee for the facility proposed is $200 plus $50 for each bed up to a maximum of $1,500 upon application for one year and $100 plus $50 for each bed for renewal each year to a maximum of $750 (Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (n.d.). Therefore, a total of $1,500 would be paid in the first year and $750 each year thereafter until an adjustment is made. The revenue per unit/person is in keeping with rates obtained from Genworth Cost of Care Survey for 2013 which suggest that the minimum, median, and maximum monthly rates are $933, $3,710 and $8,445 respectively for a one bedroom single occupancy assisted living facility in California (Genworth 2013). The information in Table 1 in the Appendix indicates that these rates would result in minimum, median and maximum income per person per annum of $$11,196, $44520 and $101,340 respectively. Table 1 also indicates that 53 single occupancy units would be available for assisted living over the ten year period. If all units were occupied during the year the total annual revenue from this would be $593,388 at its lowest, $2,359,560 at the median level and $5,371,020 – the maximum per annum. An occupancy level of 93% is assumed for year 2 to year 10 for assisted living. ... This could lead to less than expected occupancy levels for the company and thus lead to a significant reduction in projected revenues (See Table 2 in the Appendix for income at various occupancy levels). In terms of wages, the employees of the facility should not be paid lower than Federal of State minimum wage which is $7.25 and $8 respectively (Minimum-Wage.org 2013). The lowest wage rate to be paid by Blueberry Acres LLC is $7.25. Both the Federal and State Minimum wage are expected to increase to $9 by 2014 (Hicken 2013) – a 24% increase in the Federal minimum wage rate projected. In 2016 the State minimum wage is expected to increase to $10 and it is also hoped that the Federal rate will be tied to the inflation rate (Hicken 2013). The interest rate on the construction loan appears to be too high at 7.5%. The prime lending rate is currently 3.25 and is projected to be the same at the end of March 2014 (Financial Forecast Center 2013). The 7.5% projected is more than twice the prime lending rate. Additionally, the projected length of time for the loan may not be allowed to exceed 20 years. This would change the annual payments to $488,746 representing interest payments of $410,787 and principal repayments of $78,051 in the first 12 months. With the exception of vehicle costs and expenses which are assumed to remain constant, the depreciation rate and other expenses appear reasonable. Vehicle costs should increase by at least 3% - the level of inflation anticipated each year. The budget needs to be adjusted for this error. Assessing the reasonability of the construction contract The assisted care facility is a profit making venture and should be

Critical thinking process Essay Example for Free

Critical thinking process Essay Critical thinking often involves the creation of alternative plans, solutions, approaches, etc. , then comparing original with the alternatives. Creative thinking requires some critical evaluation during and after the creative phase. Critical thinking depends upon that little known and seldom discussed characteristic of the human nervous system—self-reflexiveness. Usually it also depends upon that remarkable human creation and tool—self reflexive language. Humans not only know about their environment, they know that they know; they can think about how they think, evaluate their evaluations. Languages, too, have this self-reflexive characteristic. They enable us to talk about talk, to make statements about statements, to write books about writing books. The self-reflexiveness of language and the human nervous system provide us with an open minded system: we can make statements about statements, indefinitely; we can react to our reactions to our reactions indefinitely. At no point can we say, â€Å"That’s the last word on the subject† or, â€Å"No further reaction is possible† (since, in doing so, we have said more, reacted further). However, believing that we have said the last word may cut of the self-reflexive process. This open ended, self reflexive system makes it possible for us to conduct scientific research, write poetry, plan enterprises, spin out complex tales of fiction—or spread rumours, spin webs of delusion and talk ourselves into insanity or war. Which we will do depends in part upon our motivation, but also upon our understanding of the thinking process and some aspects of the working of the nervous system. General semantics provides a meta-linguistic or ‘second order’ approach to critical thinking. It enables us to use self-reflexiveness systematically to monitor on-going evaluations. The principles and devices it provides call attention to either-or and ‘allness’ statements, to inferences treated as facts, to overgeneralizations, to statements unrestricted in time, to overly-simple statements of causality, etc. The tools work, whatever the order of abstraction, whatever the source of the statement (Johnson, 1991). How language empowers or limits the expression of our thoughts. Along with most of his contemporaries, Blair defines language in terms of a relationship between signs and thoughts: â€Å"Language signifies the expression of our ideas by certain articulate sounds, which are used as the signs of those ideas† (cited 1:98). Elaborating on this interdependence, he asserts that â€Å"when we are employed in the study of composition, we are cultivating reason itself. True rhetoric and sound logic are very nearly allied. The study of arranging and expressing our thoughts with propriety, teaches to think, as well as to speak, accurately so close is the connection between thought and the words in which they are clothed† (Ulman, 1994). Language can empowers and limit the expression of our thoughts. Talking about something that reinforces it, therefore say what you want to be true. Language has power, and by knowing this, you can select words that allow others to hear and understand you. Certain words provide a way of maintaining the focus of what you want. They can assist you to be in the state of mind that you desire. Looking for positive language patterns, gives your brain the opportunity to find alternative ways expressing your experiences to yourself and others. These tools get you off automatic pilot and in control. Having choice means you can regulate how an experience will affect you. You can choose to use your old patterns of expression which produces certain results, or use empowering language to give you different results. Now it can be you who decides. Labels limit is another concept that we’re dealing with here. When we label something or someone, we put a meaning on it that can limit our awareness, experience, and understanding. Labels are a form of beliefs, and like all beliefs, they filter our perceptions. Our beliefs only allow us to be conscious of things that are in agreement with them, and we unconsciously filter everything else. It can be tremendous evidence of the opposite to penetrate the belief filters. But with negative labels, the effects can be very destructive (Kaufman, 1998). The role of critical thinking in persuasion. What is the value of critical thinking? When someone else writes or speaks a peace of reasoning, they are trying to persuade us of something. Persuasion is an attempt to get us to believe something. People want us to believe things so that we will act in certain ways. Action requires some effort. There are choices involved. We could be doing something else. Because of this, it is very useful to be able to evaluate reasoning, for some pieces of reasoning should be accepted while others should not be accepted. If persuasion occurs in advertising, we could be doing many other things with our money. Take buying a car, for example. A lot of money can be involved, so what kind of car to buy can be a pretty big decision. Whether to marry a certain person or which of a couple of job offers to take are still bigger decisions. Almost every reader will eventually get some serious illness. There may be several different treatments available. One’s comfort, health, even ones life may depend on the decision as to which treatment to undertake. To make these decisions well, we will need to gather our own reasons to support various alternative conclusions. At that time, we could make an irrational decision, or a sheep like decision to follow some other person’s advice. The values of critical thinking, specifically how to recognize and evaluate reasoning, are the following: †¢ It help us arrive at true conclusions and therefore †¢ it increases our knowledge. †¢ It should help us make better decisions. †¢ It should help us persuade others and †¢ explain truth to them. †¢ Contribute to a happier life (Cogan, 1998). References Johnson, K. G. (1991). Thinking creatically: a systematic, interdisciplinary approach to creative-critical thinking. Englewood: Institute of General Semantics. Kaufman, R. A. (1998). Anatomy of Success. New York: Ronald A Kaufman. Robert Cogan. (1998). Critical thinking: step by step. Boston: University Press of America. Ulman, H. L. (1994). Things, thoughts, words, and actions: the problem of language in late eighteenth-century British rhetorical theory. New York: SIU Press.